FIFA boss: Brazil may have been wrong choice

GOING, Austria — FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Brazil might have been the wrong choice as host of the 2014 World Cup if the tournament is affected by more social protests similar to those at the Confederations Cup.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets during the warmup tournament in June, demanding better public services and expressing their anger about the cost to stage the World Cup.

“If this happens again, we have to question whether we made the wrong decision awarding the hosting rights,” Blatter told German press agency DPA on Wednesday.

FIFA spoke with the Brazilian government after the Confederations Cup, and Blatter said he’ll discuss the issue again with Brazil president Dilma Rousseff.

“We didn’t do a political debriefing, but we did emphasize the fact of this social unrest being there for the entire duration of the Confederations Cup,” he said. “The government is now aware that next year the World Cup shouldn’t be disturbed. To me, these protests were like alarm bells. … We are convinced the government, and especially the president, will find the words and the actions to prevent a repeat. They have a year to do so.”

Brazil’s sports ministry sent out a statement after Blatter’s comments.

“The success of the Confederations Cup proves Brazil is the correct choice to host the World Cup,” it said. “As for the demonstrations, Brazil is a democratic country that guarantees its citizens full freedom of expression.”

MLS games

Colorado used an own goal in the 67th minute after getting a game-tying score from Nick LaBrocca to beat New England.

The game winner came when Dillon Powers took a shot from the right wing that Jose Goncalves kicked into his own net. The Rapids (8-7-6) won for only the third time in eight games. Juan Toja scored for New England (6-7-6).

Erick Torres scored in the second half, and 10-man Chivas USA (4-11-5) ended a 14-game winless streak with a victory against Toronto FC (2-10-7).

Former U.S. national team captain Carlos Bocanegra made his first appearance for Chivas. He was signed July 1 after nearly a decade in Europe.

• Chelsea’s ambitious bid to sign striker Wayne Rooney from Manchester United was rejected by the Premier League champions. Rooney, 27, has pushed for a move since expressing frustration about his lack of playing time.